Stereotype-casting machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. BROOKS.

STEREOTYPE CASTING MACHINE.

Patented 001;. 19, 1886. l E

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. BROOKS.

STEREOTYPE OASTING MACHINE. No. 351,040. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

W54 iwmeob M N PETERS. Phammho m nu. Wihhlllga". D. C

UNITE STATES ATEN'r FFIQEO JOHN BROOKS, OF PLAINFIELD, NElV JERSEY.

STEREOTYPE-CASTING WlACHlNE.

SPECIPICATEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,040, dated October19. 1886.

Serial No. 173,814. (No model.)

'tion of the same.

In preparing stereotype-plates for printing it is usual to cast thetype-metal in a mold, the printing or type surface being produced by apaper matrix, and casting-boxes have been made, wherein the core blockhas been hinged to the casting-box and the parts adjusted and operatedby hand assisted with ordinary mechanical lifting appliances.

The object of myinvention is to foriua cast ing-box that shall be easilyand quickly opened and closed, and that shall move-parallel, or nearlyso, when the parts are acted upon, and thereby separate the concave sideof the stereo type-plate from the core-block.

My improved casting-machine is made with suitable framing for supportingthe coreblock and with a movable casting-box. The coreblock is nearlyvertical and stationary, and the casting-box is upon trunnions connectedby standard-moving carriages having slideways upon the frame. Thecarriages are moved back and forth by links and crankpins to disks upona shaft that is operated by a lever and pawls and a ratchet-wheel uponthe shaft. The casting-box is provided with side bars to hold the papermatrix, and it is held by a catch and drawn forward inan almostperpendicular position into contact with the semi-cylindricalcore-block, there being the necessary space for receiving the meltedmetal that is cast to form the stereotype'plate, and when said plate isto be removed the casting-box is forced back away from the core-block,carrying with it the stereotype, and it is then tipped into a horizontalposition and supported by a rest, while the stereotype is being removedor the matrix secured in position.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved casting-machinein position for casting the stereotype-plate. Fig. 2 is a par tialelevation, the casting-box being horizontal and in section. Fig. 3 is aplan view of Fig. 4: is a the machine, as shown in Fig. 2.

cross-section at or x of the coreblock and casting-box, and Figs. 5 and6 are an elevation and plan View of a device for cutting and truing theedge of the stereotype-plate. Fig. 7 is a section through the slidingcutter-plate at the top of the core-block; and Fig. 8 isa perspectiveview of the hub, rest, and catch, and Fig. 9 is a partial section of theend plate or gage and casting-box.

A and A are the side frames of the machine, and A is one end frame, andupon the upper edges of said side frames are the slideways I. The endframe,B, is preferably slightly inclined and bolted to the side frames,and the bracketframe 13 is preferably formed in one with the end frame,B, and upon said bracket-frame there are journal boxes 0 for theoperatingshaft i. The core-block D is bolted to the end frame, 13, andit is formed as a long block of metal, semicircular in section, andhaving grooves in its circular face, and these grooves receive the castmetal and form the ribs upon the inner surface of'the caststereotype-plate. There are disks h h upon the shaft i outside thejournal-boxes O, and there are ratchetwheels Z Z keyed upon the shaft i,and a lever, it, having an eye, a, loose, upon the shaft 1', between theratchet wheels, and there are pawlsm m upon said lever a to engage theteeth of the ratchets Z Z in opposite directions, as shown by dottedlines in Figs. 1 and 2, so that the shaft '5 can be turned by the lever11/ in one direction by the pawl m. and ratchet Z, and in the otherdirection by the pawl m and ratchet 1. It is to be understood that whenboth the pawls m m are in contact with their respective ratchet-wheelsthe lever is connected and the shaft i will be rotated either way withthe lever a; but if the space is limited the lever can be reciprocatedif one pawl is thrown out of action. There are links it it connected bycrank-pins to the disks h h and by pivots to the standards]? of thesliding carriages F, so that said links move thecarriages andcasting-box E back and forth upon the slideways I. As the shaft 6receives half-rotations, the stop-pins act to limit the movement in onedirection. The casting-box E is preferably made with strengthening-ribs4-, and is semicircular in section, larger than the core-block D, andupon the inner surface of the castingbox there are side bars, ac,undercut on thelr lower edges, and held to the casting-box by pins 1.There is an end gage or semi-cylindrical plate, 6, having a beveled edgein the lower part of the casting-box, and said plate is recessed asshown in Fig. 2, and it is adjustable and is provided with bolts at 2that pass through holes in the casting-box, and se-- cure the same, andwhich holes allow such plate to be shifted and to be placed in theproper position,

In the upper end of the casting-box there is an end gage orsemi-cylindrical recessed plate, 0, also having a beveled edge to whichthe lipped bars and handles 3 are connected, and the casting-box E ispjvotally mounted by its trunnions F in bearings upon the standards F ofthe carriages F, and the casting-box can be tipped up nearlyperpendicular or placed horizontal, the handle 5 being provided for thatpurpose.

(1 is the paper matrix, its top and bottom ends being shown as under theedges of the end plates or gages, I) and 0, in Fig. 2 and its other twoedges being shown under the edges of the side bars in Fig. 4, saidplates and side bars holding the matrix to place and determining thesize of the stereotype-plate, and against which its edges" are cast.where the gage or end plate 0 is not used I employ a sheet-metal platethat covers the upper edge of the paper matrix and is received under theedges of the side bars, a a.

Upon the sliding carriages F there are standards e, and a shaft, 0,passes from one standard to the other, and outside one standard is ahandle, f, and upon said shaft, between thesition shown in Fig. 1 duringthe forward and backward movement. There is a bolt, 7, in the base ofone standard 6, and said bolt is adjustable to form a rest for thehandle f and to adjust the catch 9 in its relation to the slotted plate6.

The operation of the parts is as follows: Starting with the positionshown in Fig. the side. bars a and plate 0 being removed, the papermatrix is placed within the castingbOX E, its lower edge being placedunderneath the edge of the'plate Z), the plate 0 and bars a a are thenput in place and cover the other edges of the paper matrix. Theattendant then grasps the handle 5 and lifts the casting-box into analmost perpendicular position,at which time the catch enters the slot inthe plate 6 and catches, locking and holding the castingbox in itsupright position. The attendant then grasps the lever n, Fig. 2, andswingingit outward and downward, the pawl m engaging In cases shaft iand disks h h in the direction of the ar row, Fig. 2, and by the links kk drawing the sliding carriages F and casting-box E into the positionshown in Fig. 1, wherein the core-bloek D is within the casting-box, andthe parts are tight and secure for casting. This position is also shownby the section, Fig. 4, the relative position of the casting-box to thecore-block being accurately determined by the bar 0 and adjusting-screws0, that form stops for the casting-box. The molten metal for forming thestereotype-plate is poured over the top of the core block D, upon top ofwhich I prefer to secure a slanting guide-block, N, Fig. 5, i to directthe flowing metal. After casting the metal it ispreferablc to separatethe surplus metal in the gate from the upper I end of thestereotype-plate and a cutting device for accomplishing this work I haveshown in Figs. 5 and 6. If desired, the end plate or gage 0 might havetwo or more pouring-channels (shown in Fig. 9 by dotted lines at 0 Fig.3) cut into its face, and it might come tight up against the core-block,in which case the metal filling the pouringchannels would only have tobe broken off. After casting the plate, and when it is sufficiently'cooled,the attendant grasps the handle n, Fig, 1, and raises it, thepawl m engaging the teeth of ratchet-wheel Z, and revolving the shaft 6and disks h h and moving the links k k and sliding carriages F back intothe position of Fig. 2, carrying the casting-box andstereot-ype awayfrom the core-block D. The attendant takes the handle 5 in one hand andthe handlefin the other hand and raises the handle f, depressing thecatch 9 releasing the casting-box from said catch, and then by handle 5tipping said casting-box into a horizontal position, resting upon therest 9. The side bars a and plate a are now removed, and thestereotype-plate and paper matrix lifted out. The paper matrix is nowpeeled away from the plate and may be placed in the casting-box, asheretofore described, and the IIC operations repeated to form a secondplate, if

desired. I

Figs. 5 and 6 represent a device for cutting and trimming the end of thecast stereotype plate that is uppermost in the box, and for separatingfrom it the superfluous metal in the gate above while said metal is softand hot. A metal L-shaped head-piece, N, is adapted to setting upon topof the core-block D and to be bolted to the same, and it has an inclinedcurved face, at r, acting as a funnel, down which the melted metal ispoured in casting, and a face-plate, r, resting against and bolted tothe core -block D. There is a sliding plate, 8, having a circularbeveled cutting-edge, s, between the core-block D and the head-piece N,and said plate is slotted for the bolt t, and it is operated by thelinks 25, connected to the bolt t, and pin 22 in the lugs 'r of theframe-plate r, and said pin 12 has conv nected to its lower end theoperating-lever a, the movement of which lever works the slidingcutter-plate s to force said cutter through the soft and hot metal andcut and separate the surplus metal or gate from the stereotypeplate tofinish the edge of the said stereotypeplate.

I do not limit myself to the precise mechanism for operating said cutteras heretofore described, as the same might be operated by differentdevices.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the core-block D, ofthe casting-box E, and mechanism, substantially as specified, forsupporting the same,-

the side bars, a 11, provided with pins 1, entering holes in .thecasting-box, the end plate I) and its bolts 2, the end plate a andhandles 3, the bars a a and plates 1) a being undercut to receive theedges of the paper matrix, substantially as specified.

2. The core-block D and casting-box E, mounted upon trunnions, and theirbearings and the sliding carriage F, in combination with a handle, 5,for swinging the casting-box, a rest, 9, a catch, 9", and a slottedplate, 6, to lock the casting-box in an upright position, and ahandle,f, by which said catch 9* is operated, substantially as specified.

3. The core-block D and castingbox E, in combination with the slidingcarriages F, trunnions F and their bearings, standards F standards 6,shaft 6, handles f, hub 9, rest 9, catch g", and the slotted plate 6,and handle 5, substantially as specified.

4. The core-blockD and the stationary frame to whichit is connected, andthe casting-box E, having trunnions, in combination with the slidingcarriages having bearings forthe trunnions, and the disks h h, shaft '5,links is k, ratchet-wheels Z Z, pawls m m, hub n, and lever n,substantially as specified.

5. The combination, in a stereotypeplate casting-machine, of acore-block bolted to the frame of the machine and maintained in analmost perpendicular position, a casting-box adapted to receive thepaper matrix, and provided with trunnions at the sides thereof, andsliding bearings for the same and adapted to being turned up almostperpendicularly and placed against the core-block for casting and tobeing turned down horizontally for the removal of the stereotype-plate,substantially as specified.

6. The core-block Dand casting-box E, and the trunnions, bearings, andsliding carriages for the same, in combination with the disks h h, shafti, and links 70 k, and a lever by which the said parts are operated,substantially as specified. Y

7. The casting-box E and core-block D, in combination with thehead-piece N, the sliding cutter-plate s, the bolt 25, link i, the pin1), and lever a for separating the surplus metal from the edge of thestereotype-plate, substantially as specified.

8. The combination, with the casting-box E, the side bars, a a, and endplates for holding the matrix, of the core-block D, the bar 0, andadjusting-screws 0, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, in a stereotype-casting machine, with thecore-block, casting-box, and gage for the end of the stereotype-plate,of a head-piece upon the core-block, a cutter for removing the surplusmetal from the edge of the stereotype-plate, and mechanism,substantially as specified, for giving motion to the cutter,substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 1st day of August, A. D. 1885.

JOHN BROOKS.

Witnesses:

G120. T. PINoKNEY, HAROLD SERRELL.

